Barberry plant named ‘Kasia’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Barberry  plant named ‘Kasia’, characterized by its compact and low mounding plant habit; vigorous growth habit; freely branching habit; leaves that are yellow green to yellow in color; young leaf margins edged with orange red in the spring; good garden performance and resistance to sun scald; and resistance to Black Stem Rust.

Botanical designation: Berberis thunbergii.

Cultivar denomination: ‘KASIA’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Barberry plant, botanically known as Berberis thunbergii and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Kasia’.

The new Barberry plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Grand Haven, Mich. The objective of the breeding program was to develop new unique Barberry plants with attractive foliage, improved stress tolerance and resistance to Black Stem Rust (Puccinia graminis).

The new Barberry plant originated from an open-pollination in June, 2003 of Barberry thunbergii ‘Golden Pygmy’, not patented, as the female, or seed parent and an unknown selection of Barberry thunbergii as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Barberry plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor during the summer of 2006 as a single plant within the progeny of the stated open-pollination in a controlled environment in Grand Haven, Mich.

Asexual reproduction of the new Barberry plant by softwood cuttings in a controlled greenhouse environment in Grand Haven, Mich. since the summer of 2006 has shown that the unique features of this new Barberry plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Barberry have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Kasia’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Kasia’ as a new and distinct Barberry plant:

-   -   1. Compact and low mounding plant habit.     -   2. Vigorous growth habit.     -   3. Freely branching habit.     -   4. Leaves that are yellow green to yellow in color; young leaf         margins edged with orange red in the spring.     -   5. Good garden performance and resistance to sun scald.     -   6. Resistance to Black Stem Rust.

Plants of the new Barberry can be compared to plants of the female parent, ‘Golden Pygmy’. Plants of the new Barberry differ from plants of ‘Golden Pygmy’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Barberry are more compact than plants of         ‘Golden Pygmy’.     -   2. Plants of the new Barberry are more freely branching than         plants of ‘Golden Pygmy’.     -   3. During the spring, young leaves of plants of the new Barberry         have more distinct orange red-colored margins than young leaves         of plants of ‘Golden Pygmy’.

Plants of the new Barberry can be compared to plants of the Berberis thunbergii ‘Talago’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 20,602. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Grand Haven, Mich., plants of the new Barberry differed from plants of ‘Talago’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Barberry were not as compact as plants of         ‘Talago’.     -   2. Plants of the new Barberry were more rounded than and not as         flat as plants of ‘Talago’.

Plants of the new Barberry can also be compared to plants of the Berberis thunbergii ‘Aurea Nana’, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Grand Haven, Mich., plants of the new Barberry differed from plants of ‘Aurea Nana’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Barberry were more compact than plants of         ‘Aurea Nana’.     -   2. Plants of the new Barberry were more freely branching than         plants of ‘Aurea Nana’.     -   3. During the spring, young leaves of plants of the new Barberry         had more distinct orange red-colored margins than young leaves         of plants of ‘Aurea Nana’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Barberry plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Barberry plant.

The photograph on the first sheet is a side perspective view of a typical plant of ‘Kasia’ grown in an outdoor nursery.

The photograph on the second sheet is a close-up view of a typical plant of ‘Kasia’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations, measurements and values describe plants grown during the spring and summer in an outdoor nursery in Grand Haven, Mich. and under cultural practices which closely approximate commercial production. Plants used for the photographs and description were five years old. In the following detailed description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Berberis thunbergii ‘Kasia’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Barberry thunbergii ‘Golden Pygmy’,             not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Unknown selection of Barberry             thunbergii, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—By softwood cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About 70 days at 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About one year             at 20° C.         -   Root description.—Fine to medium; somewhat fleshy and             fibrous; yellow in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant form and growth habit.—Perennial shrub; compact and             low mounding plant habit; slow growth rate and vigorous             growth habit; freely branching habit with numerous lateral             branches developing per plant.         -   Plant height.—About 28 cm.         -   Plant diameter (area of spread).—About 52 cm. -   Lateral branch description:     -   -   Length.—About 4 cm.         -   Diameter.—About 1 mm.         -   Internode length.—About 6 mm.         -   Aspect.—Erect to about 80° from vertical to arching.         -   Strength.—Strong, flexible.         -   Texture.—Smooth, glabrous.         -   Color.—Close to 16C; random spots and at nodes, close to             43A.         -   Thorns.—Quantity: About one thorn develops at each node.             Length: About 5 mm. Width: About 1 mm. Color: Close to 6C;             at the apex, close to 46C. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate or whorled; simple.         -   Length.—About 1.5 cm.         -   Width.—About 7.5 mm.         -   Shape.—Broadly obovate.         -   Apex.—Acute, mucronate.         -   Base.—Attenuate.         -   Margin.—Entire.         -   Texture, upper and lower surfaces.—Smooth, glabrous.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.         -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to 5A; color             becoming closer to 151C with development; during the spring,             margins are edged with close to 34A. Developing leaves,             lower surface: Close to 151C. Fully expanded leaves, upper             surface: Depending on light level, close to 154A or 5A;             venation, close to 144A; plants maintain yellow green to             yellow coloration during the autumn. Fully expanded leaves,             lower surface: Close to 154D; venation, close to 144C.         -   Petiole.—Length: About 5 mm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Texture,             upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color, upper and             lower surfaces: Close to 154A tinged with close to 34A. -   Flower description: Flower initiation and development has not been     observed on plants of the new Barberry. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Barberry have been observed to     have excellent garden performance and to tolerate rain, wind and     temperatures ranging from about −30° C. to about 32° C. In addition,     plants of the new Barberry are resistant to sun scald. -   Pathogen & pest resistance: Plants of the new Barberry have been     observed to be resistant to Black Stem Rust (Puccinia graminis).     Plants of the new Barberry have not been shown to be resistant to     pests and other pathogens common to Barberry plants. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Barberry plant named ‘Kasia’ as illustrated and described. 